The recent Pew Research Center’s religious landscape poll showing a rising number of “nones” in America presents a challenge as well. So what’s the answer? What will attract men back to the Church?

There are a lot of things that can be done, and no single silver bullet will reverse things. But I have one, simple suggestion for starters: Be a disciple, not a dicksciple.

We all know what a disciple is. Disciples attract. Disciples challenge. Disciples are guided by the Holy Spirit, using their charisms to build up God’s Kingdom, thus leading men – and women! – into the Church. Disciples are in relationship with Jesus Christ, on a deep and intimate level. Not in terms of “I know who Jesus is”, but in terms of “Jesus has called me, and I am following Him.” And then they invite others to follow along. Fellow Patheos blogger Sherry Weddell wrote the awesome book Forming Intentional Disciples, which highlights the critical need for the Church to form disciples (note: I’ve read the book, gone through the Called & Gifted process, and came out a changed man. Very powerful. I highly recommend it).

A dicksciple, on the other hand…well, let’s highlight the signs of dickscipleship.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

The very first Christian Bible was produced by the Catholic Church – compiled by Catholic scholars of the 2nd and 3rd century and approved for general Christian use by the Catholic Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397). The very first printed Bible was produced under the auspices of the Catholic Church – printed by the Catholic inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg. And the very first Bible with chapters and numbered verses was produced by the Catholic Church–the work of Stephen Langton, Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury.

Friday, February 13, 2015

In a lighthearted moment before an audience at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Thursday night, the 81-year-old Ginsburg cracked up telling the story that she “wasn’t 100 percent sober” before going to the State of the Union.

“The audience – for the most part – is awake because they’re bobbing up and down all the time and we sit there stone-faced, sober judges,” Ginsburg said. “At least I wasn’t 100 percent sober because before we went to the State of the Union we had dinner.”

Ginsburg said that Justice Anthony Kennedy was the culprit, bringing wine to dinner.

“Justice Kennedy brought in … it was an Opus something or other, very fine California wine that Justice Kennedy brought and I vowed this year just sparkling water, stay away from the wine,” Ginsburg told the audience. “But in the end, the dinner was so delicious, it needed wine to accompany it.”

She continued: “So I got a call when I came homefrom one of my granddaughters and she said, ‘Bubbe, you were sleeping at the State of the Union.”

Justice Antonin Scalia, who was on stage with Ginsburg, joked, “Well, that’s the first intelligent thing you’ve done.”